A lovely creamy soup to make in the asparagus season; a simple recipe that is nourishing and satisfying but not too rich..

Preparation

• 1
  Place the chicken breast in a small saucepan with a few bay leaves and black peppercorns, just cover with boiling water and poach for 10-15 minutes to cook through. Lift out and leave to cool slightly. Shred once it has cooled enough.
• 2
  Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion, peel and chop the garlic and finely slice the celery and the leek. Peel the potato and chop into small dice.
• 3
  In a large saucepan, saute the onion in the olive oil and butter over a low heat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, celery and leek and cook for a further 3 minutes. Next add the potato and continue to saute gently and stir for 2-3 minutes.
• 4
  At the same time, trim the asparagus, cut each one in half and poach in 300ml vegetable bouillon for just a minute or two. Lift out but reserve the cooking liquid.
• 5
  To the sauteed vegetables, stir in the reserved cooking liquid and 600ml hot chicken stock. Add the asparagus, reserving a few tips for garnish, the shredded chicken and half of the chopped parsley. Season and simmer for 20 minutes
• 6
  When all of the vegetables are tender, puree with a stick blender to your preferred consistency and check the seasoning.
• 7
  Just before serving, stir in the remaining chopped parsley and the creme fraiche. Garnish each bowl with a few of the reserved asparagus tips.